HomeMy WebLinkAboutcc2 4 08schoolsafety City Council
Date: February 4,
2008
REGULAR
Item:
Motion
ITEM: Receive an update on the options for promoting school safety for
Lake Elmo Elementary School and approve funds for the
installation of one Dynamic Speed Monitoring Display sign on TH 5,
near Lake Elmo Avenue.
REQUESTED BY: The Lake Elmo Elementary Traffic Safety Working Group
SUBMITTED BY: Susan Hoyt, City Administrator
REVIEWED BY: Susan Hoyt, City Administrator
Jack Griffin, City Engineer
Ted Schoenecker, Washington County
SUMMARY AND ACTION REQUESTED: The city council is being asked to receive a
presentation regarding school safety for Lake Elmo Elementary School by Ted Shoenecker,
Washington County Traffic Engineer, and to approve funds for the installation of a
Dynamic Speed Monitoring Display sign. Mr. Schoenecker will provide an update on the
results from the Traffic Safety Working Group that was created to identify and address
safety concerns around the Lake Elmo Elementary School near the intersection of TH 5
and CSAH 17 (Lake Elmo Avenue). The Traffic Working Group got underway this fall with
Jennifer Pelletier, PTA/Parent, Andy Fields, Principal, Nick Thompson and MnDOT staff,
Ted Schoenecker and Washington County staff, Marv Stutz, Commander, Washington
County Sheriff, Susan Hoyt, City Administrator and Jack Griffin, City Engineer.
For an immediate improvement, the City of Lake Elmo is recommending the installation
of Dynamic Speed Monitoring Display (DSMD) sign. This is an electronic sign that
reports a vehicle’s speed as the driver approaches the sign. These signs have been shown
to be an effective tool to increase awareness and to manage speed on roadways. There
are already two existing signs found within the City of Lake Elmo. One is on northbound
CSAH 13 (Inwood Avenue North), just south of 27th Street North and the other is on
northbound CSAH 17 (Lake Elmo Avenue) between 24th Street North and 30th Street
North. The City of Lake Elmo will work with the Minnesota Department of
Transportation to locate the sign on eastbound TH 5 near the speed limit transition
zone approaching Lake Elmo Elementary School. The sign will be located along TH 5,
which is MnDOT Right-of-Way. The sign, valued at $6,100, is being donated by 3M.
The cost of installing the sign is estimated at $3,100 and the electrical service at
$2,000 for a capital investment by the city of $ 5,500 from the city’s capital
equipment fund. The city would also cover the operating cost of approximately $ 120 per
year out of the public works lighting budget. (The budget can cover this cost).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
3M will provide the sign at no cost to the City of Lake Elmo. These signs are typically
$6,100 each. Staff will work through Washington County to contract the City of St.
Paul to install the signs. The City of St. Paul has an ongoing contract with Washington
County to perform electrical maintenance work due to the size of the department, the
cost is very reasonable. Their maintenance staff has experience in installing these signs
successfully throughout Washington County.
The anticipated costs for the City of Lake Elmo would be the labor and parts to install
the sign ($3,500), the extension of electric service to the sign (approximately
$2,000), and the monthly electrical cost ($10 per month). City staff will work with
Xcel Energy to obtain an exact cost and schedule to install the electrical service to the
sign. Once electricity is available, the installation of the sign typically takes one day and
final completion will depend on the availability of the City of St. Paul staff to install
the sign.
RECOMMENDATION:
The school safety working group along with the city staff recommends the approval of
the sign installation and related costs. The safety working group will meet with the
working group over the coming months on an as needed basis. Staff recommends
providing a funding maximum slightly higher than the estimated cost in case it is higher
than estimated so that the project is not delayed.
SUGGESTED MOTION FOR CONSIDERATION:
Move to approve funds not to exceed $6,000 to install a Dynamic Speed Monitoring
Display (DSMD) sign out of the capital equipment fund and to authorize paying for the
electrical costs associated with operating the sign from the general fund.
ORDER OF BUSINESS:
• Introduction
Susan Hoyt, City Administrator
• Presentation
Ted Schoenecker, Transportation Engineer,
Washington County
Others in attendance:
Marv Stutz, Commander, Washington
County Sheriff
Jennifer Pelletier, PTA / Parent
Andy Fields, Principal, Lake Elmo
Elementary School
Jack Griffin, City Engineer
• Questions from city council members to the presenter
Mayor and council members
The mayor will facilitate this by asking each individual council member for one question allowing for a response
to the individual question then move onto the next council member in the sequence until all questions are
completed. No council member shall take more than 3 minutes to ask a question. (Also called round robin.)
(For example, C.1 asks question 1 and gets answer - C.2 asks question 2 and gets answer and so on.)
• Questions/comments from the public to the city
council
(a maximum of three minutes per question/statement)
Mayor facilitates
• Call for a motion
This is to get a motion on the table for discussion and is actually required under Roberts Rules of Order.
This action is not an indication that the motion on the table is the motion that will be approved in the
current form. It is purely for discussion purposes.
• Discussion among city council members
(See round robin process above)
Mayor and council members
• Action by the city council City council